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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

So, first: I've been uninspired for months now to blog, but I am going to try to be better now. I have inspiration! I have a reason to look forward to March 2014! I have reason to LIVE!

Outlander is a book by Diana Gabaldon. She is my favorite author because of this book and the 6 (soon to be 7) books that follow it. She is, to me, a genius. And the cable network STARZ is going to start production on a TV series, much like Game of Thrones, based on this magnificent series.

If you are not familiar with this series, let me tell you a little about it. It's about Claire Randall, a former WWII combat nurse who accidentally travels back in time from 1945 to 1743 Scotland and meets Jamie Fraser, a beautiful red-headed Scot warrior. She is forced to marry him to protect herself from the English Army Captain who wants her tried as a spy. The twist here is that the English Army Captain is her 1945 husband's 8 times great-grandfather. That is just one of many twists and turns the story takes over the years that the series spans.

Oh, and did I mention the tasty Scotsman that is going to play Jamie? Feast your eyes on this:

Sam Heughan

Now, imagine this beautiful man with longer, reddish/auburn hair and wearing a kilt. Yes, a kilt. If you are a heterosexual woman and you don't think attractive, fit men in kilts are sexy, then I just don't understand you. At. All.

But back to the books: Do yourself a favor and read Outlander. It's historically very accurate, Gabaldon is an obsessive researcher and dives into every beautiful detail of life in 18th Century Scotland. Honestly, I didn't think I would ever like a book like this, but I do! It's full of history, romance, and the nightmares of war. It's got the whole Sci-Fi time-travel thing going for it, and it's a loonnggg book. But hey, it's summer, you have a little spare time to read on the beach. Why not read this?

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

It's been awhile since I've had the inclination to sit down and write, not that there's been a shortage of news to comment on, just that I don't know what to say about what's been happening since the last time I wrote!

Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast just days after I posted. It hit us all the way in Northwest Indiana, which is something that hasn't happened before. People were devastated by this horrible storm that shut down NYC for some time, as well as decimating the Jersey Shore. Here on the shores of Lake Michigan, it just meant a couple of very windy days and big waves. I went to the beach to take pictures of the lake, and couldn't believe the wind. I didn't get very good photos, but I got a nice face exfoliation thanks to the sand slapping me at 70 mph!

Then the Election, where THANK YOU JESUS the crazy man from Utah was NOT elected. What more can I say that hasn't been said about that? Not much, so I'll leave it at that :)

Then the horrendous shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School happened. I still can't think about it without choking up a little. The image in my mind of 20 little babies riddled with bullets is unbearable. I hold my nieces and nephews just a little tighter now, and pray that these mass murders will stop. I believe in the right to bear arms but assault rifles have no place in civilized society, period.

We had a good Christmas here, not a White Christmas, but then who needs snow when you're traveling to see your family? Not me. I did run into a little snow on Christmas morning when I left my brother's house on the South Side of Chicago, but it didn't last to the Indiana State Line and it hasn't snowed more than a dusting since! That aside, I had the absolute JOY of spending Christmas morning watching my 2 and 4 year old nieces open their gifts from Santa.

I also had the great displeasure of having some sort of flu or cold, beginning on the day after Christmas, which has finally left my body in the last few days. Get your flu shots, people! I had mine, as I do every year, thanks to my wonderful stepmom, a retired nurse. While I was quite miserable with a stuffy head, bad cough, swollen tonsils, and overall yuckiness, it wasn't the flu that's putting people in the hospital, so I consider myself one of the lucky ones!

Last week, my TEAM, my wonderful Notre Dame Football Team, lost the National Championship to **shudder** Alabama. All the NDFB haters are all of the sudden, HUGE 'Bama Fans?? "Roll Tide" appeared on my Facebook feed so many times that night that I considered de-friending a couple of people! Not really...it just hurt! But I love my team, I'm proud that they made it that far, and I'm proud that they Played Like Champions!

My New Year's resolution (I normally don't make them) is to be nicer. Stop criticizing, find the good in people, love my family and friends for who they are, and smile more. I figure that's something I can do that will make the world (okay, just my immediate world) a little nicer :)

So, Happy New Year to all 5 of my readers! Cheers to a healthy and happy 2013!